Wednesday, April 16, 2014

This book was a little different that I expected. Full of life and zeal, there is an excitement about who God is and what he does. God is in control! Because God is sovereign we can marvel at who He is.

Here, Montgomery and Jones, show us the wonder of a sovereign God. If God is in control, we have nothing to worry about. Many are offended when told that God has control of every situation. They can only look at the bad things that happen in the world and say it must be God's fault. Would it not be better that God is in control than us? If something bad happens we know He has a reason. Something is bringing Him glory. If we are in control and something bad happens, it has no reason and nothing good can come out of it.

The Bible says, "All things work for the good of those who are called". If God is not in control of everything, that statement has to be false.

Here they also show us that it is natural for people to believe that works are how we get right with God. But natural man is fallen and blind. What he believes is a lie. The only way to be right with a holy God is through the sacrifice of Christ. Grace is totally unmerited favor.

Through the whole book, the authors show us what is usually called the 5 points of Calvinism. Because of the negative feelings that come with that terminology, they prefer not to be called Calvinists.

I truly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all. If you want a book that will melt your heart and give you a new sense of wonder about our God, this is the book to read.

I recommend this book and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book, free of charge, from Zondervan and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Today, it seems like there is an Atheist behind every bush. It has become "cool" to believe that there is no God. While in college, many young people are devastated by professors who take a sledgehammer to the Christian faith, leaving the student in doubt and even depression.

In this well written book, the authors have given us an antidote to the disease that is spreading in many colleges. Truth Matters, give a reason for our faith.

The book is based around Bart Ehrman's arguments against the Bible. Ehrman, a professor at UNC has written multiple books claiming that the gospel as we know it is simply not true. These books have destroyed many peoples faith because they were not prepared to counter his arguments. Here, Kostenberger, Bock, and Chatraw counter Ehrman's arguments.

Many professors take advantage of new students. It is like shooting fish in a barrel. They know that most teens only know about the bible from what they learned in youth group. In the first week of class they can silence all arguments as they place another notch on their guns - another easy kill.

In this book, Kostenberger and company provide some practical information for stemming the tide and helping the student fight back. They provide a stepping stone for those who do not want to bury their head in the sand.

I enjoyed this book tremendously and highly recommend it especially to students.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book, free of charge, from B&H Publishing Group and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To my surprise, this was not a book about the origins of the Bible or apologetics. But it was a good surprise. In stead of an apologetics book, we have a love letter to God's word. DeYoung teaches us what it means to fall in love with God's word. He takes us through the Bible and shows us what it says about itself. God's word calls us to love God's word.

Because the Bible is the very words of God, we should treat it as such. It should be studied and reverenced. It should be a guide to lead us to God, the author.

The writing is short and to the point and the Language is simple and easy to understand. Here is a book for anyone from new believer to a Bible professor.

Because this is the audio version, I want to add that the narration is very good and fits the material.

If you are looking for a short enjoyable book to read during quite time, this may be the book for you.

I highly recommend this audiobook and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book courtesy of the Christian Audio review program at http://christianaudio.com and received the audio book, free of charge, from ChristianAudio.com and Crown & Covenant Publications in exchange for an honest review.